Shadow on the Wall
by Strider1
Summary: There's a new crime fighter in Jump City, a man as twisted as the criminals he hunts. Everyone must learn to fear the reaper. Chapter Six up.
1. Dance in the Darkness

Shadows on the Wall.

Chapter One: Dance in the Darkness.

Hello. My name is Reaper, and I am not a member of the Teen Titans. Never have been, and I doubt I ever will be. Most would say I'm not prime superhero material, but I just don't think I play well with others. What I do, I do by myself, without anyone to tell me otherwise. And what is it that I do, you ask? Two very simple things. If I had a sense of humor, I would call what I do "taking out the garbage", but I'm not that witty unfortunately. Jump City is a filthy, corrupt, crime addled place, no matter how peaceful or pleasant it may seem during the day. When the sun sets, that is when the real scum come crawling out from their hideouts and into the once bright streets. These criminals are nothing more than garbage, parasites that prey on the weak. Once I realized just how widespread the infestation had become, I decided that someone needed to step up and clean them out. Most people think I'm no better than them, and in all respects, those people are probably right. As the old adage goes, you have to fight fire with fire. That is where the Titans fail...and where I succeed. I am nothing more than a shadow on the wall, a walking nightmare for each and every piece of scum that stalks the streets. If the Teen Titans rule the day, then I rule the night.

The second thing I do is even simpler than the first. I survive. The sun rises, and the sun sets, and still I am here. When a weaker person would have crumbled and rotted away to nothingness in some godforsaken alleyway, I have only grown stronger. I'm either gifted, or a freak, depending on whose opinion you ask. My skin is pale, and my eye is odd, to say the least. I was born with the ability to manipulate dark energy into whatever form I want. It's a handy little skill when some punk is pointing a gun at your chest, while screaming his head off, not that I really care whether he lives or dies. My job is straightforward, to rid this city of all the shit, and to survive each sunrise and sunset.

It's another frigid night in Jump City, the kind that makes you wish you could be home in front of a fire, even if you don't have a fireplace. I pull my black overcoat tighter around my shoulder, as if that will somehow make me warmer. For the past ½ hour, I've been watching standing across the street from a small-time jewelry store, watching it and waiting. Someone had broken into the darkened building and unfortunately for that person, I happened to notice. This was not the best part of town, little more than a ghetto in need of some serious overhauling. Known as the Pit, few people dared to venture its trash lined streets when the moon shone in the sky. The sound of glass being smashed and a flash of movement tell me that my target has finished his job. He barreled down the street, his legs pumping furiously. I move from my hiding spot in pursuit, making sure I stay far enough behind so he doesn't notice me. About four blocks down the street, the criminal ducked down into an alley way, unwittingly sealing his own fate. As I close in, I can see his dark outline hunched over at the far end of the alley, the bag of evidence on the ground between his feet. The sound of my approaching feet on the pavement startle him, and he whips around to face me, gun in hand.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, punk?" The crook's voice is confident…perhaps even cocky. More than likely he believes that because he has the gun, he has all the power. But he has no idea what he's dealing with. I take another step forward without saying a word.

"Listen up, asshole; you'd better screw off before you get hurt." The man was getting angrier by the second and as a result, I hear the tell-tale sound of a gun being cocked. I take yet another step forward.

"You asked for it!" Two shots are fired, their noise echoing against the walls of the alleyway, and up into the star-less night sky. I do not flinch. A strange smile spreads itself across my lips as I take one more step forward. The man's arm drooped down to his side.

"W-What the hell are you?!" His face has gone as white as the purest snow. There is no emotion in his voice now, aside from fear. I am now within three feet of him.

"I am something that every man, women, and child must inevitably face." Is all that I tell him. His arm whips back up, but I prove to be faster. Faster than the blink of an eye, I form a blade out of black energy and remove the gun, and perhaps part of the crook's hand, from the rest of his body. Clutching his bleeding stump, the man stumbles until his back is up against the rear wall of the alley. I reach out, and wrap my hand around his neck, squeezing slightly. Everything was silent, save for the muffled gurgling coming from the criminal. Tightening my grip around his neck, I pull him towards me so he can see my face more clearly. For a few brief moments, I let him stare at me in wide-eyed fear before I smash him back up against the wall. I keep repeating this until his squirming body goes limp in my grasp. He slumps to the ground into a heap when I release him. I kneel down beside him, and place my finger on his neck to check his pulse. It's very faint, but I can feel it pumping. Lucky him...he'll live to see another day. I turn and walk out of the alley-way. It's just another night in Jump City.


	2. Vigilante

A/N Thanks for the reviews, including my most faithful fan. I kinda started this on a whim, but since it was successful, I'll be splitting my time b/t this and my other TT fic. I don't own the TT, or Ozzy Osbourne. Anyway, on with the story.

Shadow on the Wall

Chapter 2: Vigilante.

_Screams break the silence_

_Waking from the dead of night_

_Vengeance is boiling_

_He's returned to kill the light_

_Then when he's found who he's looking for_

_Listen in awe and you'll hear him_

_Bark at the moon!_

It was just another morning in Titan's Tower. Cyborg and Beast Boy had already gotten into two shouting matches, one over whether to make tofu waffles or regular waffles, and their usual morning ritual of fighting over who gets to use the game-station first. Off in a dark corner of the living room, Raven sat meditating. Robin was sitting at the table with Starfire, a huge stack of newspapers in front of him. As was his routine in the morning, he would pore over each of the major papers looking for any criminal activity the Titans may have missed. Bored with watching the other boys play video games Starfire floated over to the table and plopped herself down across from Robin. She reached into the stack of unread papers, opened it to a random section and began reading.

"You refer to these as "funnies" She said, cocking her head to one side. "But I do not find these colorful pictorials humorous." Robin looked up from his reading, reached out and took the paper from the befuddled alien girl.

"Starfire…these are the advertisements, not the funnies." Robin sighed. As he went to hand the paper back to Starfire, one of the front page articles caught his attention. It was a series of pictures of a clearly terrified man being loaded into an ambulance, with the headline: Jump City Held in Grip of Fear." Written underneath: Police believe vigilante is on the loose as tenth victim is claimed this month. Robin read the article twice complety. He remembered hearing bits and pieces about a series of violent nighttime attacks, but dismissed it as nothing more than a bunch of coincidences strung together by overeager reporters. Now it was getting far too out of hand for any kind of coincidence. What struck Robin the most was a quote from the victim. When questioned about who attacked him, he kept repeating over and over that he was attacked by the Grim Reaper himself. Not only was there someone very dangerous stalking the city at night, but whatever that person was, he was not normal. Something had to be done about this, before more people, innocent or not, got hurt.

---

For the second time today, I have returned to the Pit. But this time, I have not come to punish some criminal, this time, I am going home. For as long as I can remember, I have lived on and underneath this streets, and for as long as I can remember, I have lived here alone. Even at this early time in the morning, the streets are still lined with people. Some of them are going to work, others are returning home. I walk amongst all the people, the good, the bad, the normals, and the freaks. I walk amongst them, without any of them the wiser about who I am. Some of the people glance at me as I go by them, others stop and stare at me, unnerved or frightened by my appearance. I do not care what they think, because they do not understand. They do not understand me, and they do not even understand the very world around them. They walk around like they'll live forever, like they will never face the truth. Every one of them, whether they are murderers or teachers, sinners or saints, they must learn that all people inevitably come face to face with me. I do not bother to look at, let alone remember the faces I see. I do not doubt that many of these faces I will never look upon again and those people are fortunate. For those that cross my path will be forced to deal with what they have been avoiding their entire lives. Over the tops of the buildings, I can see the sun begin to rise, bringing with it the promise of a bright new day. I cannot stand the sunlight, for it does what I cannot. The sun brings hope and warmth to those that deserve it, and even to those that do not. All that I bring to humanity is fear, pain, and cold. It is my lot in life, and I do not regret it. As much as I loathe the sun, I need it. Without the light, there would not be anything to chase away the darkness, no matter how powerful it may get. Just like the old saying goes, without good, there can't be evil, and vice versa.

I feel like I've been walking for hours, and for good reason. Countless nights I've spent walking these streets, and by this time, I know them like I know the back of my own hand. From the increasingly familiar surroundings, I can tell that I am finally nearing the entrance to my home. The back-alleys in this section of the city are like mazes. A person could get seriously lost. One more turn into a trash-lined alley-way and at last I am there. The entrance is nothing more than a simple metal sliding door leading into a long abandoned storehouse, located deep in the bowels of the Pit. I choose this place years ago not only for its seclusion from the rest of the city, but also for the solitude in general that it afforded me. There are few things more important to me in life than peace and quiet away from the noisy rabble. I grab the handle on the sliding door and lift it up, first making sure that no-one is around to notice. Several unfortunate souls have followed me back here in the past, mistaking me for some kind of street urchin, or some lost civilian ripe for picking. Suffice to say that not one of those unlucky souls ever returned to my little haven. Confident that I'm alone, I walk in and slam the door behind me. I am tired, and I must sleep, for tomorrow night, I hunt for prey once more.


	3. At Death's Door

Shadows on the Wall

Chapter 3. At Death's Door.

I look inside myself and see my heart is black

I see my red door and it has been painted black

Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts

It's not easy facing up when your whole world is black

The night has come and the moon has risen. It is time for me to resume my never-ending crusade. The rain is falling in torrents, and within minutes of stepping outside, I am soaked from head to toe. By the time I reach the main street, my clothes feel like they weigh a thousand pounds. It's more an annoyance than anything else. There's about an inch of water on the ground, but not even this biblical rain stops the people from lining the streets. Most of the people look like faceless specters all bundled up in their raincoats; some times it's hard to tell where one person ends and another begins. These people do not concern me this evening, for tonight I have a special appointment. Thanks to a tip from a recently departed friend, I found out about a robbery that will be attempted on a weapons warehouse in another part of the city. Unfortunately, I do not have enough time to walk their, so I am forced to hail a cab. I have to get around somehow, and there's no faster way short of being able to fly. After about five minutes of standing on the side of the street with my hand in the air, a driver proves bold enough to pull over and pick me up.

"Where too?" The driver asks. In the interest of anonymity, I have my collar pulled up around the sides of my face, and my fedora pulled down tightly over my brow. I can tell by the driver's quick glances that he is trying hard to get a good look at my face.

"Gorham Avenue." I climb into the cab, keeping my head low. "Get me there quickly and there'll be a special bonus."

"Whatever you say." The cab driver's eyes keep peering into his rear-view mirror, far too many times than was needed. He was silent throughout the drive, opting to only ask one more question.

"You look pretty pale, man. You alright?"

"I don't get much sun."

"Gotcha"

---

Later that night.

"Robin, exactly how long do plan on keeping us our here? Beast Boy asked, drying his hair with his sleeve for the umpteenth time. "It's rainy, it's cold, it's late and we have seen diddly-squat out here."

"We are going to stay here until we find something, or until the sun rises." Robin answered. "Someone is planning to hit this warehouse, and I intend to find out whom."

"I fear that Beast Boy may be correct, Robin." Starfire admitted. Robin turned from his scanning of the building to look at the alien girl.

"Not you too, Star." Robin groaned. He didn't want to admit it, but the downpour was starting to wash away even his determination. Twice Slade's minions had attempted to rob military caches, and twice the Titan's had managed to stop him. This was the only one left in the city, and Slade was definitely not the type of person would give up despite failing in the past. Robin would have bet his mask that Slade would be there he was so sure. Cleaning his binoculars, Robin returned to his watching. He did not have to wait long for his diligence to pay off. A hint of dark movement caught his eye. Minutes later, the giant door slides open and a small army of Slade's robots pour out carrying wooden crates.

"Titans go!" Robin yelled, firing his grappling hook and swinging down to begin the melee.

---

Earlier that night.

Traffic. The one thing that not even I can do anything about. Exactly one hour and twenty five minutes after the trip started, I finally arrive at my destination.

"Stop here." I tell the cabdriver. He pulls the cab over; I get out and start to walk away. For some reason, this seems to upset the cabdriver.

"Hey! What about my pay, and that bonus you promised!?" He shouts at my back. I stop, and slowly turn around to face him. He shouts at me again about the money.

"The bonus is that I allow you to live." As I talk I lean in close to the driver's window, and for the first time, the driver can see my entire face. His face has gone white with fear. I raise my arms above my hand, and form a gigantic black scythe in my hands. With one fell swoop, I slice the cab in half. The cabdriver stumbles out of the cab and falls to his knees at my feet.

"You have been spared. Now run." Without another word, the drivers scrambles to his feet and dashes off into the night. I watch him disappear off into the shadows, positive that he'll never forget our meeting, no matter how hard he tries. I stalk off towards the rear of the building, prepared to wait out the entire night for my quarry.

---

Later that evening.

The fight was going well for the Titans, even though they were severely outnumbered.

At the beginning of the battle, Raven and Starfire took to the skies, raining down starbolts and chunks of masonry down on Slade's minions. Cyborg and Beast Boy were next, using the confusion caused by the girl's aerial attack to strike directly at the center of the robots. Beast Boy transformed into a rhino and stampeded over any robot that got in his way. Cyborg rode in on his back, blasting any minion that Beast Boy missed with his sonic cannon. Once they reached the entrance to the warehouse, Cyborg leapt off Beast Boy's back right on top of a group of robots, smashing them to pieces. Beast Boy now transformed into a bear, and was swiping back and forth wildly. Robin was a moving blur, destroying one robot with his martial arts in a matter of seconds before moving on to the next one in line. As soon as a robot moved in close to engage him, it was as good as wrecked. Time and again his steel-toed boots found their mark. It was only a matter of minutes before the ground was strewn with broken parts, and the enemies rank was thinning. In the middle of the fight, Starfire noticed out of the corner of her eye a number of Slade's robo-minions attempting to carry several crates off to the rear of the building. Nobody else seemed to notice this, so the alien girl took it upon herself to chase after them and retrieve the ill-gotten gains. She hurtled after them, naively thinking that they did not realize that she was now on their trail. She was wrong. The robots turned a corner at the far end of the building, with Starfire following close behind. As soon as she rounded the corner, still flying at full speed, Slade's robots struck. A single laser bolt caught Starfire square in the back of the head, causing her to lose control and hurtle headlong into the ground. She finally skidded to a half nearly a hundred feet from where she struck the ground, though she had been knocked out upon first impact. Slade's minions closed in on her.

---

The sound of battle roused from my investigations, but it seemed to end as soon as it began. I rush in the direction the noise comes from, but all I see is a group of black clad men surrounding something on the ground that I do recognize. There is no doubt in my mind that there are the ones that I am looking for. I move forward, making no attempt to be silent. In fact, I want them to know that I am here. All at once, the men turn from the unmoving shape on the ground to face me. That strange smile slowly returns. The first of the men charges at me, aiming a punch for my head. I catch his hand and twist with all my might, and to my surprise, his arm tears from his body in a shower of sparks. The smile grows a little bit wider. The scythe forms in my hand for the second time that evening, and I tear into the robots with no remorse. One by one they attack me, and one by one I slice them to pieces. One of them sneaks up from behind me, and tries to pin my arms to my sides. I break his grip, whip around and knock his head from his shoulders with a single kick. It does not take much longer to dismantle the rest of the soulless monstrosities. At that point, I take the first real look at the limp form on the ground. It's a young girl.

"Now what am I going to do with you?"


	4. Fear the Reaper

Shadow on the Wall

Chapter 4: Fear the Reaper.

Came the last night of sadness

And it was clear that she couldn't go on

And the door was open and the wind appeared

The candles blew and then disappeared

The curtains flew and then he appeared

The thing on the ground is a girl, a girl unlike any I have ever seen. Her hair is long, and bright fiery red. Her clothes are odd, but strangest of all, her skin is…orange. Very Odd, but that doesn't matter to me. She has not yet moved, for as long as I have watched her. Around her head a pool of blood has formed, soaking into her hair and making it shimmer in the moonlight. Perhaps I should leave her to die…the time for her to cross over may very well be approaching. I kneel down on the ground next to her still body and place my hand on her forehead. I can feel the warmth of life still emanating from her skin. Her breathing is short, but steady. She may survive, but I do not have the time to dawdle and find out. I begin to stand, but something stops me. Kneeling back down, I move my hand so that it hovers over her heart and I close my eyes in concentration. A streak of pure white flashes in my mind and my eyes fly back open in shock. I have never found one with a soul as good and pure as the one that resides in this young girl. I cannot allow one such as this to suffer on these dank streets amongst the filth that inhabit them. She is lucky, for her time has not come. With one motion, I heft the young girl from the ground and place her over my shoulder. Before I can escape in the shadows, a voice halts me…

"Put her down!"

---

"I said put her down!" Beast Boy shouted again, louder than the first time. During the fight, he had noticed Starfire flying off in pursuit of a bunch of Slade's robots. Without thinking twice, he followed after her. By the time he reached the rear of the massive warehouse, all he found was a pile of destroyed robots, and an unconscious Starfire in the arms of something out of his nightmares. Whoever, or whatever this things was, it looked like it could give Raven a severe case of the chills.

"The girl is with me now, green one. This does not concern you." The monster said, in the type of voice one expects to hear in a graveyard. It turned and started to calmly walk down one of the darkened side streets. There was no thought in Beast Boy's mind that he could handle this thing on this own, but he was sure as hell gonna try. Morphing into a tiger, Beast Boy charged the escaping nightmare at full speed. Just as he was about to sink his claws into the fiend's back, it whipped around faster than he could react and caught him around the neck with one hand. His grip was as tight as steel, and as cold as ice. Beast Boy would have tried transforming again, but found himself utterly paralyzed. Even at this close distance, Beast Boy could not get a clear look at the face of his attacker; it was hidden deep within its clothes and blanketed in shadows. In fact, he was kinda glad he couldn't get a clear look at him.

"Not a wise decision, but I have more important matters to deal with." With ease, the thing hurled Beast Boy back into the empty lot, sending him flying through the air and into a pile of garbage. Beast Boy stared in awe as the nightmare formed a massive black scythe out of thin air and slashed at the building next to him. It appeared to have no effect, until dust and a grinding noise filled the air. Within a matter of moments, the wall of the building collapsed, forming a barrier between Beast Boy and the nightmare, which proceeded to disappear into the shadows with Starfire still across his back. A familiar voice snapped him back in reality.

"Beast Boy! What happened, and where's Starfire?!"

---

Foolish boy, getting in my way like that. The girl has lost much blood, and I must hurry if I am to make it back to my home before the sun rises. As I make my way through the city, the identity of the pure one and the green boy become suddenly obvious. The one who attempted to attack me was the one called Beast Boy, and the girl must be the one called Starfire. Before today, I had never officially met any of the Teen Titans, only hearing about them via word of mouth during my nightly travels. The city embraces these youngsters, not only for what they do, but for what they stand for. They were idols to thousands of people, young and old. If there was trouble, the people of Jump City knew who to call. There were few places where you could go and totally get away from the influence of the Titans. I don't but believe that it's right for these children to be putting their lives on the line fighting corruption everyday, despite the success they've had in the past. I cannot ignore the courage that these young heroes display, especially considering the bravery Beast Boy showed in assaulting me earlier. Do these young men and women have any knowledge of pain? Of loss? Of death? Do they have what it takes to survive in a world full of evil that can't be combated with physical strength? What about the wounded girl on his shoulder? She lives in that tower, separated from the rest of the world along with her friends. Placed on a pedestal at such a young age must be a terrible thing. After what feels like hours of walking, I finally reach the entrance to my simple home. I walk in and lay the unconscious girl on the padding I use on my bed. I have much work to do.

---

"Tell us again what happened, Beast Boy." Robin asked, rubbing his aching temples in confusion. The Titans were still behind the warehouse, searching it high and low for any evidence of their missing teammate.

"Dude, I've told you three times already." Beast Boy groaned.

"We know you have, BB. It's just a little hard to swallow." Cyborg reasoned.

"Whatever. I ran back here to help Star, and by the time I got here, the robots were junked. And that was when I saw the Grim Reaper carry Starfire off. I tried to help, but there was nothing I could do." Raven had been silent throughout the entire ordeal, but hearing him repeat the name Grim Reaper over and over forced her to finally speak up.

"What do you mean "Grim Reaper"? She asked.

"How many Grim Reapers are there, Raven? Tall dude with pale skin wearing a long black coat with a black hat, wields a giant blade thingy, and talks like a ghost."

"Are you sure you weren't seeing things?"

"Totally sure. Come to think of it, I'm surprised you don't know him, he seem's like your type."

"Real funny Beast Boy." Raven said, sneering at Beast Boy and pulling her hood back over her head. "The Grim Reaper is the personification of death, I don't think you saw him carry off Starfire."

"Whatever it was that Beast Boy saw, it still has Starfire, and we have to find him if we want to find her. Move out Titans!"


	5. Moonlight Massacre

Shadow on the Wall

Chapter Five: Massacre under the Moonlight.

The Titans had finally caught up with the Reaper. After hours of following him through the deepest, darkest bowels of Jump City, they finally had him cornered in an alleyway. They could clearly see Starfire's unconscious body draped across the fiend's broad shoulders.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll put the girl down and surrender." Robin seethed. This monster had hurt Starfire, and he was going to make him pay for it dearly. The Reaper laughed a hollow and emotionless noise that chilled the Titans all the way down to their bones. He held Starfire's form in the air with one arm for a second before dumping her limp body down at his feet. Moonlight washed over her, and for the first time the Titans could see the condition she was in. To their horror, she was completely bare-naked and covered in blood from head to foot in blood.

"I've had my fun with her, but not that she has gone cold, she is of no more use to me." The Reaper laughed again, and to emphasize his sentiments, he raised one boot in the air and brought it crashing down on Starfire's neck. If there was any life in Starfire before, there surely wasn't any there now. Robin was the first to react, screaming in rage and terror and launching himself at the Reaper. He would not reach his target. While Robin was still in mid-leap, The Reaper lashed out with his scythe, catching Robin square in his midsection and cleaving him neatly in half. Blood poured onto the ground as the two separate section continued their flight before flopping to the ground. Just as Cyborg brought his sonic cannon up to fire, the Reaper rocketed forwards and hacked the limb from Cyborg's body. The Reaper than used to momentum of the slice to swing downward and literally cut the legs out from under the Titan. Cyborg toppled face-first into a growing pool of blood and oil. The reaper raised the scythe into the air and brought it down into Cyborg's back; sending sparks flying and silencing the Titan's screams of pain. He turned and walked toward the two remaining friends. Beast Boy shoved the frozen Raven behind him.

"Stay behind me…I'll protect...urghk" Beast Boy would not finish that sentence, as the Reaper shot out one hand and caught him around the throat. A stream of gurgles and coughs were the only noises Beast Boy made as the steely grip grew ever tighter. Raven was so close to him that she could hear the wet crack when his neck finally snapped. Throughout the terrifying ordeal, Raven found that she could not move, or bring herself to speak. Now she and the Reaper were the only ones left alive. All around her she could see the broken and mutilated bodies of her now dead friends. She wanted to scream, but she could not find the voice. She wanted to run, but she could not find the strength. The Reaper focused his gaze on her.

"I'm coming for you next, Raven of Azarath, and there's nothing that can stop me." The Reaper raised his scythe into the air for assuredly the last time, and in a sweeping arc, brought it down to Raven's neck. Just as the blade was about to connect, Raven screamed for all she was worth.

She was still screaming when she woke up. She looked around her room frantically, checking every corner as she inhaled deep, long breaths. Her sheets, clothes, and body were drenched in sweat, and tears were streaming down her face. The rest of the Titans barged into her room, nearly knocking the door off its hinges in their rush to reach their friend. They had returned to Titan Tower after searching nearly all night without finding any clues. It was decided that they should all get some rest before heading out again.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Robin's voice sounded haggard, and Raven didn't doubt that he had not been able to get any sleep, just like the rest of the Titans.

"I just had a terrible nightmare. I'll be okay." Raven admitted. "I fear that Beast Boy was not joking about what he saw carry away Starfire."

"Whoa, hold on for a second, Raven. You can't be serious." Cyborg didn't sound like he was convinced.

"You don't think we're fighting the actual Grim Reaper." Robin added.

"Yes and no."

"Calm down first, Raven, then explain what you're talking about."

---

I do believe that the girl will recover completely from her injuries. She had lost a great deal of her blood, but I managed to bring her back to my home and bandage her wounds fast enough. Her leg is badly broken as well, but with time, that too will heal. I stayed awake all day watching over her, although in twelve hours she has yet to move. I do not know when she will wake up, or even how she will react when she does. I open up the sliding door and look outside. The sun has set, and the moon has risen to its place in the clear night sky. I ponder the choice between staying here and leaving so I can make my nightly patrol of the city, leaving the girl to fend for herself if she was to wake up. I decide that the girl will be fine here by herself for a few hours. Before I can leave, I hear the sound of groaning back in my home. The girl must finally be rousing from her unconscious state. I return to the seat that I sat in all day across the room from the bed. Her noises are light at first, but over the next few hours, they grow louder and louder as she regained her senses. It is past midnight by the time she finally opens her eyes. She blots upright in the bed, and let's loose with a scream that fills the entire room. It is a good thing that I padded the walls to dampen any sounds. She whips her head around the room frantically, more than likely trying to make sense of not only her surroundings, but what had lead her to her condition. I say nothing, content on allowing her to calm herself down before making any attempt at conversation. It is many minutes before that point happens. Finally her breath becomes regular once more, and she slumps back down in the makeshift bed. It is at that point that she first notices me. In the interest of not frightening her, I have my face covered with a hood. She stares at me for a while before speaking for the first time.

"What is going on? Where am I?" With every question the girl seemed to get more and more frantic. When I answer her, I try to be as calm and reassuring as I can. I fear that it does not work as well as I hope.

"Do not fear, Starfire." I say to her. "You are safe." From under her bandages I can feel her eyes upon me.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?"

"I know many things, Starfire. Unfortunately, you must not know who I am just yet.

"Where are my friends?"

"That is also something I cannot tell you." The girl became angry and floated up from her bed, her eyes glowing a bright shade of green. However, before she could do anything, she moaned in pain and fell back down to the bed. It did not take long for her eyes to drift shut

"You must rest, pure one. All will become clear in time."


	6. Nocturnal Supremacy

Shadows on the Wall

Chapter Six- Nocturnal Supremacy

All hope in eclipse

A thousand nights one succored me

In the shadow of miss-anne-thropy

Sat gargoyle-limbed amid my licking flame

A cruel tongue at work in her secret vaults

Sent rebellion's embers into revolt

The coming of extinction

Synched to whimpers of my name...

The moon is beautiful tonight. Most people stare at the night sky there entire lives and never truly come to appreciate its serene magnificence. I feel that I am the only who does. It can be said that the sun is the most important star in the sky, because it provides warmth and light, but that is a mistake. The moon provides light when mankind needs it the most, when darkness threatens to completely envelop the world. With the girl still unconscious, I am free to prowl the streets without having to worry about the girl waking up and attempting to escape. I do not think she will recover for a long while, although her wellbeing is not currently at the forefront of my thoughts, for I am on the hunt. About an hour ago in the downtown sector of Jump City, a woman was brutally raped and murdered. The scum who committed this atrocity managed to elude the JCPD, but no matter how far he runs, or how well he hides, he could not escape me. I have tracked him to a condemned residential building, intent on making him pay for his sins. A single locked door is the only thing that stands between us. I rear back and with a single kick I knock it from its hinges. The scum's bloody footprints are plainly visible on the dust covered floor. There is no denying that this is the building that he has attempted to find sanctuary in. I follow the trail through the filthy house, eventually making my way up the lone flight of stairs. In situations like this, I always question myself as to why these criminals forever feel that they can somehow circumvent fate and avoid the inevitable. They seem to think that as long as they stay on the run, they do not have to face the repercussions of their actions. Whether it is in life, or in death, every man, woman and child must ultimately face justice. From the top of the stairs, the footprints lead straight into an open room. In the center of the room, the man sits on the floor, slowly rocking back and forth. His back is too me, not that it matters if he saw me enter or not. I glide across the floor towards him, and place my hand upon his shoulder.

"Your time has come." I tell him. At the touch of my hand and the sound of my voice, the man screams at the top of his lungs and lunges into the far corner of the room. His eyes grow wide as saucers, and his breaths come short and fast. He clutches at his clothes with his hands, frantically clawing at himself in fear. Every person has a different reaction to fear. Some scream and bawl their eyes out, some get excited to the point of physical ecstasy, and still others become utterly silent. I must admit that one of the most intriguing aspects of my job is getting a chance to view how each individual human deals with their fear. This particular one's reaction is nothing special, common even.

"Who are you…what do you want?" In his emotional state, the man can barely speak. His words are barely more than stutters. The sweat from hours of running is still streaming down the sides of his face.

"I know what you have done, and I am here to make you suffer for it." The man shrinks down into a fetal position, his arms wrapped around his knees and his chin held tight against his chest. I can now hear the familiar sound of muffled crying coming from within his huddled form. It is almost comical that a person who so bravely assaulted a weak and defenseless woman degenerates to this pathetic state when the situation becomes reversed. Only the bravest of souls stand and face me as they should.

"I'm sorry!" The man croaks between sobs. "I'm sorry…so sorry. For the love of god, please forgive me." I quickly grow tired of his pitiful mewling.

"For what you have done there is no forgiveness, only retribution." I move closer so that I now tower directly over him.

"Stop this miserable display. Stand and face your fate like a man." At this point, the man has stopped speaking intelligently, repeating "oh my god" over and over again before the tears choked finally away all his words. I decide to put him out of his misery and at the same time rid the world of one more stain. The scythe forms in my hands, and I raise my arms above my head. I ready my strike as I bear my teeth in a grin. One strike is all it takes to finally silence his sobbing. For a few moments I stand over his body and stare at the singular carnage that I had wrought. With this job completed, I turn and quickly leave the same way I came in. There is no need for me to concern myself with the body, as the police will eventually pick up the trail and clean up the mess. My only concern now is returning to my own sanctuary and checking up on my unfortunate guest. Before long, I find myself standing at the familiar entrance, the first rays of the sun already licking at my back. The girl is still unconscious on my bed, and there's no evidence that she woke up at all during the night. I am very tired, so I take some old clothes, along with some tattered blankets and lay them on the ground as a makeshift bed. It's not very comfortable, but within minutes I am sound asleep.

---

"Raven, if you know something about this monster, you have to tell us." It was still very early in the morning, and none of the Titans had felt like going back to bed and trying to sleep after hearing about Raven's chilling nightmare.

"I really wish I could" Raven said. "I just have this bad feeling that we're dealing with something supernatural."

'What do you mean, "Supernatural?" asked Beast Boy. "You mean like a ghost or Bigfoot or something?" The changeling shivered in his pajamas.

"Exactly, but before I can be sure of anything, I'll have to do some serious research." There was already a huge stack of occult books from Raven's personal collection sitting on the table before the Titans. In the few scant hours since she had woken up, the young Goth had already pored over several of the tomes in search of any information that might be of even the littlest help.

"We'll do whatever we have to do to find Starfire." Robin said. "Raven, you stay here and find out anything you can about this Reaper, and the rest of us will continue sweeping the city for clues."

"Dude, what are we gonna do if we find whatever has Starfire and it does turn out to be the Grim Reaper. How do you plan on fighting the freaking Grim Reaper?"

"Calm down, BB." Cyborg interjected. "There's no way this thing is the actual personification of death."

"I don't care what this thing is." Robin slammed his fist into his palm. "All that matters is that we find it, show it what the Titans can do, and save Starfire."


End file.
